Iran football federation to lodge complaint to Fifa over World Cup travel hurdles
Iran’s national football team will file a formal complaint with Fifa over travel restrictions imposed during the World Cup, the country's football federation announced on Thursday.
“Despite submitting our tournament preparation schedule well in advance, the national team has once again encountered restrictions from the organisers, disrupting the technical staff’s plans,” a federation spokesperson said, according to AFP.
The statement came after the team was forced to fly to Los Angeles just one day before their opening match against New Zealand and return to their base camp in Mexico immediately afterwards, despite having requested to arrive two days prior.
Players and coaches have openly expressed frustration over recurring hurdles throughout the tournament, as federation staff, players, and Iranian fans have all faced severe travel restrictions.
Playing in Group G, the Iranian team started the tournament following months of uncertainty over their participation, amid the war on Iran by the US and Israel.
Iran football federation vice president Mehdi Mohammad Nabi and fans watch their match against New Zealand from Tijuana, Mexico, after being denied entry to the US, on 15 June 2026 (Guillermo Arias/AFP)